An auditory Go/No-Go study of event-related potentials in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

In this study event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on response inhibition identified during task performance. ERPs were recorded during a auditory Go/No Go task in two groups of children with mean age of 12.8 years (11 years to 14.7 years): one diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS (FAS/PFAS; n = 12) and a control group of children of same age whose mothers abstained from alcohol or drank minimally during pregnancy (n = 11).

The children were instructed to push a button in response to the Go stimulus and not to press the button when the No Go stimulus were heard. Task performance accuracy did not differ between the two groups, however differences were observed in the ERP components: P2, N2, and P3. The P2 amplitude were larger for Go trials in both groups.

The FAS/PFAS group showed slower N2 response to Go trials, suggesting a less efficient early classification of the stimulus. P3 showed larger amplitudes to No-Go vs. Go in both groups. The study has provided new evidence for inhibition deficits in FAS/PFAS subjects identified by ERPs.